Rack for operating mechanism for washing machines



Nov. 11, 1924. 1,515,006

o. B. woonrgow RACK FOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Oort. 16 1923 @y g Afm.

Patented Nov. 11, 1924.

QLV'ER B.WOODRQW, v0F NEWTON, IOWA.

To a/Z'Zhwfomi ani/gy w,oo noen:

lit knewnjtllt 1I, QLIWR B- WOQDROW, 2L Q Higen ,of "the jlnlted Stayitee, `vnd eI resident of 1AhTevvton, in the eonntyfyoifezsper and State.o`o-vva,yheveinvented e certain ,new and useful Batik .for 'Operating @Meek anienigforlwglshing M ohineglof Whiolr the following@,eepei, ien

T111 Gnneetel 'with 111@ uSeOf Sofffelld @Olly .type domestic Welling nmlnes [1t is ,enst/@wy i@ meer? eneltelteetne rotary rnotioirto the dolly I ,ineens of nag pinion @ennete'd t@ ,ighedolly Shaft eboyefth Wash- -ligrllte. i 4 V iiimesh with the pinion )ont @gpm-bleef heilig swung toglpoeitiqniewey lfroinfthe cover end @ut/off, mesh W11-11- the )1J-1111011. ,.llles .leek beren@ vOltdfmzyily.lflse Of .Gest metal @ed Qmparatyely ,heavy and with .the .l devices U.nQv'v in common nee there ghesklbeielr nonsgderebleeless, due tOfbreaAkaee-Of "the .lek barsyvhen ,they are, permitted .t0 dwp Quitwardlyjfnd downwardly when disengaged @from ,thecpnionmn'd wthelnwre, they have owed @memorabledanger, .flue to. wflelltl Ving of 'theiinge'eendjjhandegoi the r object is to provide gearing device pfiths ,comedie-11ofemrle.Humble end i11- ejgpexnjsgive/gonetrnction: and vvhioh'z .when the Geyer his Qpl, :will -rfst auteillm-tiqelly e ls* engage the ijeek bar jfroin jthe pnnuon*` and tlienas thescover kis ,s ivgting odopennposition, the. leek har .will beelltoeleteelly',@tained in 2L wbmedly upright @when .by the cover Aso'jthatit oannot fell outwardly end downwardly.

A her objeet is to provide e ndevice of andillustlated in ings,` iny -vvhieh:

Figure ly ehovvvswa .sideelevation of e part of Washing nivchine :body lwithI 2L cover thereon, ,and @improved web@ @neolling, "device, applfe'dseeeo: o e

.Fie-uf@ 2 SHOWS alflvrifii 'plain .-y'fev. .of Sem@ with lthe clover A.in closed 'poSitiQna-nd' a portion of the gearga-ee andthe to-proff the rack bei" `brokenavvffty toshoiv l.the yinterineshing genre. Y f

gFigre 3 shows a side elevetionof e ypert of t a.' Washing machine `body with it hinged cover ther xn ,slightly elvated,` iilnzstrtng the position ofthe' recit' kbfi/lifes; it ooin'nienoes to di's'enjgeg the pf'liiinlA Figure sho'WSn enlarged det-eil lseotion* el vievvv ill'nstrating,Tthe rek btir' and pin-l ion with 'fthe KreekL teeth position to enter beiveen the toothed Spacesfon the pinion; all. n Figure y5 tshows zt transverse .sectional View l -f the raolgbar and!,guidepi'z'tjte" on the line 5*-75 oFignre2Lg e i i :,Refellile @Mlle ,accompanying drawings Ifhztvefnsed 4`the reference 10." 'to indiote that portion of' thef'ivsihinfg nieeh'ineioody vsfh'ovin andf'll is""the"y:hinged cover. 'Monnted von one Side yetthe,weshing nalchinelhodvlis 2Lbi1alet 12in ivhieh :1, lever J`13 v1s; monnted Stnd in :t sbfsten tiel'lyl vertie'alf position. livoted `to theftop of 4.the lever 13 is a rook-'ber yproperindicated by qthe numeral 14. 'Monn'ted Within the'cover llise dolly-eiwit' 1:5' npon ivliioh doilvlzis lnonntech and on the rshjftilf is; l:t'Joinion l17'. yof these part-shire of the VOrdinary oonetrnetionfnOWAin Colnl'non use. My inipljovelnent eonsiets in` providing on. top of ther COVeI`- 1111;*i guide pletev 18 htving gnide ribs l19 extended iipwefrdly therefrom and spaeedapart'from each others. Pivoted in thentei en'dofA this guide plete 'insha rack engagingloop@ vviiioh'nornmlly rests by gravity on topiofthe rihs`l9. yThe rack ber iS orni'ed `ivith tn extension atfiterfree end,` which ex'tenxsi'onv is" vapered and forms zt ing'erQl Whieh nornir'ally resten th'egu'ide pla-te ,18 bet-Ween the ribs" "and is L'of fiieh Size that i'tgw'ill npese under the r'ck engaging loop 20. The lower portion of this finger 21 is provided with a rounded downwardly extended port-ion 22 which rides upon the top of the guide 18.

The rack bar proper at the portion thereof which contains the teeth is formed with a solid side member 23 and a solid top member 24, and the rack teeth are formed integral with these side and top members. rIhe lower edges of the rack teeth are tapered or rounded at 25, as clearly shown in Figure 4. Otherwise, they are shaped in the customary manner for rack bar teeth.

Mounted upon the top of the cover member 11 is a gear case 26 to enclose the pinion except for the side adjacent to the rack bar. This gear case is provided with protecting wings 27 which lie alongside that portion of the rack bar that is provided'with teeth. Said wings are extended to such positions that they will completely cover the adjacent face of the rack bar teeth when the rack bar is in any position of its normal movement.

I have also provided a guide roller 28 mounted on the cover member 11 adjacent to the pinion and designed to engage the face of the rack bar opposite from the pinion and in order to prevent the persons fingers or other objects from becoming pinched between the adjacent surfaces of the rack bar and the said guide roller, I have provided substantially triangularly shaped lugs 29 fixed in position on the cover.

In practical operation and during the normal movement of' the rack bar to agitate the dolly, the rack bar is reciprocated and slides within the guide 19 in mesh with the pinion and imparts an alternating rotary movement to the dolly shaft. If at any time the cover is opened, then the rack bar will slide in along the guideway between the guide ribs 19 with the fingers 21 in the groove formed by said ribs. The downwardly projecting rounded portion 22 of the fingers will act as a fulcrum tending to elevate the rack teeth out of the pinion. Hence, the first effect of the movement of opening the cover will be to automatically disengage the rack bar from the pinion. As the cover is further opened, the fingers 21 will pass under the loop 20 and then when the cover is swung to position past a vertical line, the loop will hold the rack bar against further outward movement, as illustrated in Figure 1. When the cover is returned to a closed position, the rack bar will descend and the rounded or tapered lower ends 25 of the rack teeth will freely enter the two spaces of the pinion, and will be guided by the fingers 21 to position between the pinion and the roller 28, and obviously when the cover is closed, there is no portion of the rack or pinion that is exposed in any such manner as to make it possible to pinch the operators lingers or garments upon the top of the cover.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a hinged cover thereon, a pinion supported by the hinged cover, a rack bar pivotally supported at the side of the body beyond the hinged point of the cover, and a loop pivoted to the cover normally lying in the path of the rack bar, said parts being so arranged and proportioned that when the cover is being opened, the end of the rack bar will pass under said loop, and when the coveris swung to open position past a vertical line, the rack bar will be held by said loop against further outward movement relative to the cover, for the purposes stated.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a hinged cover thereon, a pinion supported by the hinged cover, a rack bar pivotally supported at the side of the body beyond the hinged point of the cover, a tapered finger having a rounded lower end formed on the rack bar, a guide device having a groove therein in which said finger is slidingly mounted, and a loop pivoted to the cover above said groove, for the purposes stated.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a hinged cover therefor, a rack bar pivotally supported beyond the hinged center of the cover, the outer end of the rack bar being formed with a finger having a downwardly extended rounded portion, a guide on the cover upon which said finger normally rests, rack bar teeth formed on the rack bar, the lower ends of the teeth being arranged in a plane slightly above the lower portion of said nger, and the lower ends of said teeth being tapered, for the purposes stated. A

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a hinged cover thereon, a pinion mounted in the cover, a rack bar pivotally supported at one end beyond the hinged center of the cover, said rack bar being formed with a smooth top and outer side members and being formed with rack teeth exposed on the other side member and the bott-om, a gear case for the pinion, and wings secured adjacent to the gear case and being extended to positions where they will cover the exposed sides of the rack teeth when the rack is in any position of its normal movement relative to the pinion.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a hinged cover thereon, a pinion mounted in the cover, a rack bar pivotally supported at one end beyond thehinged center of the cover, said rack bar being formed with a smooth top and outer side members and being formed with rack teeth exposed on the other side member and the bottom, a gear case for the pinion,

and Wings secured adjacent to the gear case and being extended to positions Where they will cover the exposed sides of the rack teeth when the rack is in 'any position of its normal movement relative to the pinion, and a guide normally mounted upon the cover adjacent to the pinion and designed to engage the smooth side of the rack bar, and substantially triangular protecting 'blocks arranged between the sides of said roller and 10 the adjacent side of the rack bar, for the purposes stated.

Des Moines, Iowa, September 8, 1923.

` OLIVER B. WOODROW. 

